Below is our Admissions Policy for 2017-2018 detailing the categories for admission.

Please be aware that the numbers of children applying under each category fluctuates year on year and the school regularly admits children from Category 11 (Out of Area). Parents from out of area are encouraged to apply; if you would like to know more, please make an appointment to view the school or talk to the Headteacher, Mrs Peddie.

POLICY FOR ADMISSIONS

2017 - 2018

The Governors are able to admit up to the Published Admission Number (PAN) of 20 children to the reception class in each academic year. In the event of over-subscription, places will be allocated strictly in accordance with the priority order below.

The Local Authority (LA), Hertfordshire, operates an agreed co-ordinated admissions scheme in line with government legislation. The LA will coordinate the process on behalf of the school according to the scheme published each year. The Governing Body, as the Admission Authority, will allocate the available places in line with this policy.

The closing date for admission applications to be received by the LA is 15th January 2017.

Information on completing the online application and notification dates of admission decisions are published in the LA admissions literature, available from the LA website.

All applications must be made on the home LA common application form. Parents/carers are requested to complete our Supplementary Information Form (SIF) and return it to the school office by 15th January 2017. If a Supplementary Information Form is not completed the Governing Body will apply their Admission Arrangements using the information submitted on the Common Application Form only, which may result in your application being given a lower priority.

The school provides for the admission of all successful applicants who have reached their 4th birthday by the beginning of September 2017. However, please note the following:

a) Parents offered a place may defer the date of their child’s admission until later in the year, or until the child reaches compulsory school age. Summer born children may only have admission deferred until the start of the summer term.

b) Parents can request part-time attendance until the child reaches compulsory school age.

Where a parent of a ‘summer-born’ child (1 April – 31 August) wishes their child to start school in the autumn term following their fifth birthday, the Governors will consider the request.

If parents do not take up the offered place before the start of the summer term of the school year of entry, then they would have to re-apply for a place in Year 1.

However If parents wish such a child to be educated “out-of year group” i.e. in the Reception Year rather than Y1 they may request this and should discuss it with the school as soon as possible. Such applications will be considered by the governors on a case by case basis. Each case will be judged on its individual merits but to admit out of year group would require exceptional and extenuating circumstances and professional evidence explaining why the child’s needs cannot be met in the chronological year group.

All such parents should apply for their child’s normal age group at the usual time and may submit a request for admission out of the normal age group at the same time.

The governors will respond to this request prior to the offer of a place being made. If the request is agreed to the application can be withdrawn for that year before the place is offered.

If the request is refused, parents may decide whether or not to accept the offer of a place for the normal age group, or refuse it and make an in-year application for admission into Y1 for the September following the child’s fifth birthday.

Where a parent’s request has been agreed, they must make a new application as part of the main admissions round the following year.

Parents do not have the right of appeal against a decision not to place the child in a year group outside their normal age group.​

By agreement, and in co-operation with the Local Authority, the governors will apply their admissions policy criteria to all applications.

The school does not have any specific units or facilities for pupils with particular special needs and there are no specific facilities for pupils with physical disabilities. The school is on a sloping site. The classrooms are on more than one level but there are ramps for access.

Children who have a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care plan which names the school will be admitted to the school.

CATEGORIES FOR ADMISSION

Category 1

Children in public care (children looked after) and children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangement order or special guardianship order). See Note 1

Category 2

Children living in AREA A on the map available from the school.

Category 3

Younger siblings permanently residing in the same household as children already on the school roll at the time of entry. See Note 2

Category 4

Children of regular worshipper(s) of the Church of England living in AREA B, whose parents/guardians are regular worshippers of St. Ippolyts Parish Church. See Note 3

Category 5

Children of regular worshipper(s) of the Church of England living in AREA B, whose parents/guardians are regular worshippers of another Anglican Church. See Note 3

Category 6

Children of regular worshipper(s) of the Church of England and who are regular worshippers of St. Ippolyts Parish Church, but who live outside the parish. See Note 3

Category 7

Children of parent(s) or guardian(s) living in AREA B, who are regular worshipper(s) of another Christian denomination. See Note 3

Category 8

Children of any other parent(s) or guardian(s) living in AREA B.

Category 9

Children of regular worshippers of the Church of England who are regular worshippers of other CE churches outside the Parish and who live outside the Parish. See Note 3

Category 10

Children of parent(s) or guardian(s) outside the Parish, who are regular worshippers of another Christian denomination. See Note 3

Category 11

Children of parent(s) or guardian(s) who live outside the Parish.

Continuing Interest List

In the event of more applications than available places the governors will maintain a continuing interest list (waiting list). Parents are requested to inform the governors if they wish their child’s name to be removed from the Continuing Interest List. The Governors will maintain the list until the end of the academic year.

Fair Access protocol

The governors cooperate with the LA’s Fair Access protocol for children who are hard to place.

Twins/Multiple Births

Every effort will be made to accommodate twins and other “multiple birth” applications. Where the 20th child admitted to the class is a twin or multiple birth, the other twin or sibling will be admitted as an exception to the infant class size rule.

‘In year’ applications

Parents seeking an in year school place should contact the school directly for further information.

The governing body remains responsible for the allocation of all places in accordance with the school’s published admission rules. Places available will be allocated according to the categories for admission.

Appeals

Parents who have not been allocated a place for their child have the right of appeal to an independent panel.

At transfer time parents wishing to appeal who applied online should log into their online application and click the link ‘register an appeal’. Parents who did not apply online should contact the Customer Service Centre on 0300 123 4043 to request an appeal pack.

For in-year applications parents wishing to appeal should contact the school directly in the first instance.

NOTES

NOTE 1:

A “child looked after” is a child who is

a) in the care of a local authority, or

b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (section 22(1) of The Children Act 1989)

Adopted – under the terms of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (section 46) or for children adopted before 2005 under terms of the Adoption Act 1976.

Child Arrangement Order – under the provisions of section 14 of the Children and Families Act 2014 residence orders were replaced by child arrangement orders. The Children Act 1989, section 8 defines a residence order as an order settling the arrangements to be made as to the person with whom the child is to live

Special guardianship order – under 14A of The Children Act 1989, an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian or guardians

Children in the process of being placed for adoption are classified by law as children looked after providing there is a Placement Order and the application would be prioritised under category 1.

Children who were not “looked after” immediately before being adopted, or made the subject of a residence order or special guardianship order, will not be prioritised under category 1.

NOTE 2:

The governors have the same understanding of the term ‘sibling’ as that used by the LA which defines as sibling as the “sister, brother, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, child of the parent/carer or partner or a child looked after or previously looked after, and in every case living permanently in a placement within the home as part of the family household from Monday to Friday at the time of application”. For the purposes of this policy home address means the permanent address of the parents or carers with parental responsibility with whom the child normally lives. Where a child spends time with parents at more than one address the address applied will be that where the child spends the majority of the school week including nights.

NOTE 3:

A regular worshipper of a Church is defined as someone who attends the Church at least once every calendar month and has done for the previous 12 months. There must be a note (NOT email) to confirm this level of attendance to accompany the application, which must be signed by the priest or minister of the church concerned.

The governors define a ‘Christian’ Church to be one which is a member of Churches Together in England or the Evangelical Alliance.

NOTE 4:

Where the application of the above criteria results in a situation where there are more children with an equal right to admission to the school than the number of available places, the tie-break will be distance from the school, measured using the computerised, ‘straight line’, mapping system operated by the LA as described in their admissions literature and website. Where this distance measurement results in more than one child having an identical claim to the last available place as a result of living in flats, priority will be given to the lowest house number.

NOTE 5:

Please note that a repeat application within the same academic year will not be considered by the Governors unless there has been a significant change in circumstances.

NOTE 6:

At the point of admission the family must still be residing in the category in which the place was offered.

NOTE 7:

Please note that evidence of permanent residency at the quoted address may be sought.